Tosca and Nabucco Chisinau National Opera
at Dartford and Kensington (Orchard Theatre, Dartford 8 February and Royal
Albert Hall 11 October 1999)

On 8 February the Chisinau National Opera
brought Puccini's Tosca to Dartford, as part of a British tour under
the auspices of Opera & Ballet International, who are based in Chatham.
As so often with opera, off stage drama had nearly upstaged the show itself.
The company's coach was stranded in an avalanche on its way from Moldova,
its engine kept running overnight to keep the orchestra and chorus from freezing
before they were dug out! Many company members were unwell upon arrival just
in time to open in Southend.

They fielded a roster of soloists from major opera companies, three Cavaradossis,
three Scarpias and three Toscas! Natalia
Margarit, flown in from Rome Opera, was magnificent, glamorous
and authoritative on stage, her voice rich and steady through its whole range
from firm mezzo to dramatic soprano. A fine old fashioned production without
frills and mercifully free from trendy direction. A full house emerged
contentedly from The Orchard Theatre into
our first winter snow, which had begun to fall during the performance!

My review of that event failed to reach the pages of the south eastern Guide
Magazine, which suddenly axed its regular music column because of the
more pressing claims upon its space of the Millennium soon ahead and the
emerging Dome nearby! This was one spur which led towards the launching of
Seen&Heardduring the summer.

The opportunity to hear the Chisanau company again at a one night stand at
the Royal Albert Hall was too intriguing
to forego, despite a damning review from up north by a respected national
newspaper critic. Regrettably, she proved to have been spot on, and my initially
charitable mind-set soon evaporated, but the evening gave food for thought.

Firstly, the Albert Hall was all but full, scotching any still held belief
that opera is an elitist entertainment. Nor did the punters appear in the
least concerned that the touring sets and the lighting for Verdi's early
epic Nabucco were simple and crude (though less unsuitable in the
vast space of the Albert Hall than in smaller venues), the singing mostly
loud and unsubtle, and acting non-existent. I liked the Zaccaaria, but generally
found little to remember or commend from what was billed as "a 170-strong
company with handpicked stars from Russia, Romania and Latvia, who appear
in a powerful production". The multitude came on, emoted distress or vengeful
defiance as required, then stood stock still and delivered Verdi's stirring
choruses full front.

Underlying this sorry spectacle one could not help thinking about the economic
conditions in the company's home countries which had forced them into undertaking
such uncomfortable and unprestigious touring abroad.

It was all as if in a time warp yet with, if only at first, a certain nostalgic
charm. I have dim childhood memories of some opera performances with staging
nearly as perfunctory as this, before Callas amazed us in Tosca and Medea
by showing that opera stars might also act, and now we expect this of the
chorus too. Sur titles kept us on track with the proceedings. The programme
(£3, and not provided for invited critics) was as uninformative and
overpriced as so common; astonishingly it gave lists of singers and conductors
who might appear, but did not disclose who we were watching and hearing on
this particular night.

Peter Grahame Woolf

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